FYI: May 2003

From
Northeast to Middle EastOn Valentine's
Day two U.S. Coast Guard cutters embarked for the Persian Gulf, marking
the agency's first mobilization of forces to a potential combat
zone since the Vietnam War.

The
pair of New Jersey-based cutters, the USCGC Adak from Sandy Hook
and the USCGC Bainbridge Island from Highlands, were deployed with a total
of about 35 officers and crew toward an undisclosed location in the region.

In the
Northeast the 110-foot, high-speed patrol boats were conducting homeland
security operations; in the Middle East, they were assigned to protect
naval ships from suicide bombers, like the ones that attacked the USS
Cole in 2001.

"The
ship is in the best shape it's been in since I've been in
command, and the crew looks good," said Lt. Sean MacKenzie, skipper
of the Adak, according to the Associated Press.

Though
MacKenzie had never seen combat, the ten-year Coast Guard veteran did
patrol New York Harbor immediately after the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001. To prepare for the contingency of war, MacKenzie and his crew
conducted intense drills for three months to sharpen their interdiction
and port security operations.

In a
public statement, Coast Guard officials said the aim of the deployment
is to protect high-value targets, such as Navy ships, oil tankers, and
military command vessels.

MacKenzie
said the months of drills and preparations have boosted the crew's
attitude toward their mission.

"You
wind up increasing your confidence level quite a bit about your ability
to protect yourself and the assets you're in charge of," he
said. "We're definitely ready to go."

THINGS
WE LIKEIt ain't
easy being cheesy. That's what PMY Midwest sales rep Tim
Schmitt discovered when he sculpted this perfect scale model of a Tiara
4400 out of pure Wisconsin mild cheddar cheese. Schmitt, who is based
in De Pere, Wisconsin, carved the creamy cruiser over two pain-staking
days and then sent it to PMY editor-in-chief Richard Thiel, who
is still trying to find a place for it in his office.

496The estimated
lifetime total of boat tests performed to date by PMY's Capt.
Bill Pike.